Chapter 271: Blood Moon Interference

When the morning sun rose to the sky the next day, Ivan made his way to the training ground where he found Alistair and Tobias practicing. Everyone else had left the moment the sun began to pop up, leaving behind the vampire brothers to face themselves, and Ivan had suspected he’d find them here.

A little curve arched his lips as he watched them in silence, but soon after, his eyebrows pulled together when he noticed Alistair’s hesitancy in striking an attack– he was inexplicably slow, which was odd for someone with inhumane reflexes, and luckily, he wasn’t the only one who seemed to notice it.

"I think we should stop here." Tobias withdrew his sword that was merely inches away from stabbing Alistair in the eye. "You’ve been acting weird these past few days, are you sure you’re alright? Do I need to get a royal physician?"

"I’m fine." Alistair flexed his shoulder joint in an attempt to adjust the bone. "I also think we should stop here as well, my body doesn’t seem to be prepared for practice today. Look, Ivan’s here." He immediately directed Tobias’s attention to Ivan who was making his way down the many steps. The vampire brothers offered him a slight smile, a little surprised to see him here after how many days of missing daily practice.

"Shouldn’t you be dealing with multiple paperworks, what are you doing here?" Alistair asked his cousin. Since Ivan became King, his training no longer happened on a daily basis, so it was normal for them to question his presence, most especially after knowing he had a lot on his plate today.

"I was in the mood for some sparring, are you two done, or are you going again?" He switched glances between both of them.

"Alistair is having issues with his body, he can’t train today, I’ll spar with you instead." Tobias brushed his brother aside to reach for a sword which he tossed at Ivan to catch. Alistair rolled his eyes at his brother and said,

"I’m not having issues, I feel overworked, like I did something strenuous with my body without knowing what." Complained Alistair as he stretched once more.

"How many rounds did you go with that concubine last night?" Questioned Tobias, and it made Alistair subconsciously stiffen. Ignoring his brother’s reaction, Tobias heartlessly went further to expose to Ivan, "he sucked himself up with a few drinks and woke up naked in a bed belonging to one of the concubines. If Father finds out about this scandal, he’d be receiving another lash in the punishment room, I believe Alistair deliberately draws himself to suffering."

"Hey!"

"He’s not wrong, you drink like an idiot sometimes." Ivan supported Tobias, and Alistair could almost hear his heart shatter at their duo comeback. Mumbling a few irritated words, he walked out on both of them.

"Where are you going?"

"To cool down."

"Don’t you dare wreck my chamber, I just had that organized." Tobias warned his brother who had already left. Ivan watched him go before turning his attention to Tobias.

"Why’s he grumpy all of a sudden? Isn’t that supposed to be your thing?"

"Very funny, but honestly speaking, I don’t know. He gets moody from a few words, and this behavior started yesterday. His efforts in practice are deteriorating too, I seriously wonder what he’s up to."

"It’s Alistair, he’ll get over it. Now, where were we?" Ivan took a stance.

—-

As the day went by, Samantha finished having her breakfast and visited the grand library again. She read through the books she had personally picked from the shelves, and her pet Viney, who was placed on the table, could sense how deeply engrossed she was by the book she was reading.

’Has Master learnt anything new?’ asked Viney, and Samantha let out a soft sigh before reclining against her seat. She pursed her lips for some seconds before admitting.

"Yes, but none of those things are something I deem important. Forget that, here comes trouble." She opened her sleeve so Viney could hide in its depth, and the footsteps behind her stopped.

"Your Highness," Lady Seraphina came to stand in front of Samantha, her head bowed politely as she said, "I understood your request when you said you wanted privacy, but I come bearing news of utmost significance."

"Utmost significance?" Samantha tried not to show her cluelessness and replied with a composed demeanor, "what do you have for me?"

"It has come to my attention that the nobles and dignitaries from far and wide have been eagerly awaiting a banquet hosted by the new Queen herself. It has been a long time since such occasions were held in the Palace, and the ladies have been longing for a moment of unity and celebration." Seraphina took a pause and inhaled sharply, "the tension amongst different houses is yet to be diminished, and as Queen, you should create a sense of peace and prosperity in your rule."

"I see," Samantha pondered briefly on the matter before saying, "a banquet to strengthen the bonds of our Kingdom. I shall discuss this with his Majesty and let you know of my decision tonight."

"Of course, Your Highness. The realms will surely rejoice at your graciousness if you make the right one. I shall leave you to be." Curtsying once more, she left, and Samantha could hear her pet Viney speak.

’Viney doesn’t feel comfortable around her, Master should be wary of such people.’

"She’s my personal advisor sent all the way from Vesunard, and as you can see, I have a conscience. It will be rude of me to reject her when she hasn’t committed any grave offenses yet." Samantha murmured. She was glad she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t comfortable in the presence of Lady Seraphina, whom she has decided to call Phyna (Phee-na) from now on.

She had only agreed to it so the vampiress won’t drag the matter furthermore.

"Oh that reminds me, I think I left an important book in my Chamber, I’ll quickly go get it." Rising up from her seat, she informed Lady Phyna that she would be back before exiting the chamber.

Walking past the hallway on the ground floor, Samantha noticed Alistair who was about to go up the stairs, and she smiled to herself upon seeing him. She found it weird how they all lived in the same Palace, but a week can go by and she would hardly cross paths with the vampire brothers.

"Alistair?" She called, and the vampire turned his head to look in her direction. He smiled faintly at the sight of her, and when she approached him, they went up the stairs together.

"I see, they’ve been keeping you busy with customs and all that, haven’t they? Who knew that one little maid would turn out to be my sister-in-law." He mused, and Samantha chuckled at his expression.

"Where are you heading?"

"Ah... right, I’m going to finalize a few things in Ivan’s study chamber. Dealing with the witches from the South has become our main focus."

"Prince Alistair!"

Arriving at the second floor, Alistair turned his head to the side to see the Astrophysicist hurrying in his direction. He was a middle-aged man who held lots of paperwork in his hand, and he only stopped running after standing before Alistair and the Queen.

"Greetings your Highness! Prince Alistair."

"What’s the rush?"

"Forgive my actions but the matter is rather urgent. May I request to speak with His Majesty please?"

"Is anything the matter?" Samantha asked upon noticing the slight panic on the man’s facial features, and he hesitated before responding.

"It’s about the blood moon happening, Your Highness."

"What about it?" Alistair queried this time, a frown dawning on his features, and he heard the Astrophysicist say,

"The blood moon has stopped moving– I mean, we’re no longer expecting the blood moon in a few days. It appears something has interfered with the blood moon’s actual date." He informed them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read